WesWorld

January 1941 Summary

The news from Saigon regarding the peace accords signed between China and the Philippines are greeted with anger and derision by the people of the Philippines. It seemed that even the average man in the back-barangays was asking, “We were winning? Why did we give in?” Demonstrations saw effigies of President Macadandang hung from lamp-posts placarded with the word “TRAITOR” in blood-red letters. Better informed elements in Manila acknowledged that the Philippine decision to go to war with China was a mistake, and that a combination of European pressure and the buffoonery of their own government had conspired to make the Philippines the laughing stock of Asia. Having gone to war over worthless sandbars, and having been on the verge of victory, years of cooperation within the SATSUMA alliance now stood in ashes and the Philippines stood in diplomatic isolation. For many it was fortunate that the public blamed the President Macadandang and the other politicians of the Populist League.

The peace treaty was ratified by the Philippine Senate by a narrow margin, following a compromise brokered by Senator Andres Soriano. As part of the compromise the Philippine Government enacted the Fleet Replenishment Act of 1941, which called for modernization of the Philippine Navy, both in terms of materiel and personnel.


The Manila Times – Thursday, 23 January 1941

Details have been published regarding the recently-enacted Fleet Replenishment Act. Called by some the “Four-Four” Fleet Program, it calls for the construction of four new armored cruisers, four new light cruisers and sixteen large fleet destroyers, as well as ancillary ships, over the next five years. Hailed by many as the first coherent naval program in the history of the republic it remains to be seen whether the nation’s finances can stand the strain imposed upon them. Nevertheless, the adoption of the Replenishment Act has been well-received by the public and has calmed some of the anger that has been focused on the Malacañan Palace.


February 1941 Summary

Civil dock workers in the Port of Manila go on strike Tuesday, 4 February to protest the arrival in the harbor of two seagoing tug boats sent to fetch the incomplete hull of the seaplane carrier Itu Aba – the former Chinese Shanton – which is to be retroceded to China under the terms of the Treaty of Saigon. The Government hesitates four days before employing police and troops to reopen the docks, while naval personnel prepared the Itu Aba for towing to a Chinese shipyard. The intervention by the military reignited the discontent among the general population at the pitiful outcome of the South China Sea war. Popular feelings were also roused by the announcement of the first of the Government’s postwar austerity measures.


The Davao Herald – Monday, 17 February 1941

The First and Second Independent Infantry Regiments were disbanded today in ceremonies held at Camp Panacan here. The reduction in military strength is occasioned by the Government’s austerity program and retrenchments in the wake of the South China Sea war.

Quoted

Originally posted by BruceDuncan
Details have been published regarding the recently-enacted Fleet Replenishment Act. Called by some the “Four-Four” Fleet Program, it calls for the construction of four new armored cruisers, four new light cruisers and sixteen large fleet destroyers, as well as ancillary ships, over the next five years. Hailed by many as the first coherent naval program in the history of the republic it remains to be seen whether the nation’s finances can stand the strain imposed upon them. Nevertheless, the adoption of the Replenishment Act has been well-received by the public and has calmed some of the anger that has been focused on the Malacañan Palace.

A very interesting plan indeed.

It's becoming harder and harder for the Dutch to justify not "keeping up with the jones" and building large ACs of their own.

Quoted

Originally posted by Kaiser Kirk
It's becoming harder and harder for the Dutch to justify not "keeping up with the jones" and building large ACs of their own.

I thought you started some?

Quoted

Originally posted by Kaiser Kirk
It's becoming harder and harder for the Dutch to justify not "keeping up with the jones" and building large ACs of their own.

It's a side effect of our economical rules. Historically, an Alaska was not noticably cheaper than the Iowas were, but since we're a pure tonnage economy, ships in that weight class become much more attractive than they should be.

Pretty good point there, I must admit.

March 1941 Summary

The Government, seeking to deflect criticism of policies from the late conflict, convenes a Committee of Inquiry to examine the activities of the Navy’s handling of the war in the South China Sea. Testimony from senior officers including Admiral Roberto Cain and Rear Admiral Sebastian Vasca, who had held the principal commands in the conflict, soon suggested that political machinations in Malacañan Palace and in other government offices had hobbled the war effort from the outset. After four days of hearings the Committee suspends its investigation without findings. Public outcries increase when it becomes apparent that wartime taxation rates will continue – the increased revenues flowing into a variety of pockets but not funding the refurbishment of the armed forces as had been promised by the Government. On a positive note, a Military-Technical Commission departs for Santiago, Chile, on the first stop on a fact-finding and – it is rumored – buying mission.


The Manila Times – Tuesday, 4 March 1941

His Eminence Gabriel Archbishop Reyes returned home today from his journey to Rome, where he had met with His Holiness and members of the Curia to discuss the current state of affairs in the republic. His Eminence made a brief statement upon his return that his visit was productive on many levels.


The Freeman – Cebu City – Friday, 14 March 1941

Former President Juan Diego de la Vega, scheduled to speak at a political rally here, was shot and killed by a lone gunman who laid in wait for the former leader outside the hall at which he was to speak. Struck by three bullets de la Vega was mortally wounded and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Cebu City Municipal Hospital. The assassin, identified as Dionysio Gullas, was taken into custody and has been charged with murder. Gullas, age twenty, is a member of the Youth Wing of the Populist League, and his killing of the former president is believed to be motivated by the latter’s signing of the Treaty of Saigon.


April 1941 Summary

As the Government’s policy of retrenchment and austerity begins to bite, informed sources in the Navy report that the Minister of War has offered for sale abroad some of the nation’s finest warships. Such rumors are buoyed by the fact that many smaller warships have been paid off for scrapping. Recently discharged sailors and soldiers besiege the War Ministry for their severance gratuities and back pay but are met with harsh words. Prices of food and basic necessities have begun to rise and cases of hoarding have been reported to the police. Despite these concerns Congress refuses to act, with wrangling between the factions in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. President Macadandang continues to blame “obstructionist elements” for the lack of progress in implementing reforms.


The Davao Herald – Sunday, 20 April 1941

Ceremonies were held today to mark the dedication of three new elementary schools in this city. These represent the latest efforts of the Order of Augustinian Recollects to increase education levels among the city’s less affluent and form a part of that Order’s efforts here.

Good news - in the sense of it being well done.

Quoted

Originally posted by The Rock Doctor
Good news - in the sense of it being well done.

Thank you!

I hope I shall continue to amuse. :-)

May 1941 Summary

Reports of the proposed sale of the battlecruisers Bohol and Samal surface in newspapers hostile to the Government, prompting denials by the Minister of War; however, the copies of correspondence between the War Department and the Mexican Embassy are leaked by certain patriotic officers, and the news rocks the halls of Congress. President Macadandang attempts to exculpate his administration by claiming that the proposed sale is necessary to finance the Four-Four Fleet Program while pursuing domestic reforms. Admiral Roberto Cain and several other senior naval officers tender their resignations in protest, leaving the service and thus gaining the freedom to criticize the Government’s naval policy. The trial of Dionysio Gullas, assassin of former president Juan Diego de la Vega, continues, with links to higher echelons of the Populist League coming to light. Confidence in the administration of President Macadandang continues to plummet, while popular discontent rises, particularly in Manila, Cebu and Davao.


Saturday, 3 May 1941 – Balintawak, near Manila

Five men sat at the polished oak table – each of them representing a powerful part of the Philippine business establishment and the old national elite. There was Don Pedro Roxas, whose family wealth rested on the largest brewery in the nation; Don Manolo Elizade, the press baron; Don Eugenio Lopez, owner of the Manila Electric Company and numerous other enterprises; Don Rafael Ayala, chairman of the Bank of the Philippines; and their host, Don Andreas Soriano, senator and owner of the Luzon Stevedoring Company, among other companies. They sat alone.

“Things continue to move in the desired path,” commented Don Pedro. “Macadandang continues to be portrayed as the buffoon. Your people have done well Don Manolo,” he finished.

Elizade nodded. “He makes it simple. So much of what is printed is the complete truth that it is easy for the people to believe the rest.”

“How then should we proceed?” asked Don Pedro, looking to their host and leader.

Soriano paused a moment before replying, taking stock of his fellow conspirators. Yes, that is what they were, conspirators to save a nation before it descended into chaos. Since the civil war successive governments had promised the people much but failed to deliver, and in the last few years it had become clear that politicians did not have the answer. The rise of the Populist League raised the spectre of socialist nationalization of the economy, and had brought Soriano and his erstwhile competitors together; yet by hitching his political star to the ill-fated war with China Macadandang had provided a wonderful opportunity to redress the balance.

“We have prepared the ground well,” began Don Andreas. “The Government’s popular support, even its strength in Congress, is waning. It is time to move forward to more overt measures.” He turned to the banker and said, “You informed me that you had made contact with an officer in a position to assist us?”

“Yes,” replied Don Rafael. “There is an association of younger officers dissatisfied with the venality existing within the War Department. They wish to see reforms. I have met with one of them and survived – which speaks volumes.”

Don Eugenio was the first to respond. “You are certain that he can be trusted?”

Ayala smiled. “Of course, he is a cousin.”

Rut Roh.....

June 1941 Summary

The formal reopening of the Chinese embassy in Manila occasions a resurgence of street demonstrations against the Government for the shameful treaty of Saigon. Survivors of the bombing of the Olongapo Hospital, struck in the Chinese attack on the Olongapo Naval Station, picket the embassy with placards bearing photographs of children and anti-Chinese slogans; it is necessary to call on the Philippine Constabulary to clear them, as the Manila Police refuse to interfere. The highly publicized scrapping of the cruisers Durnaran and Culion is greeted by a three-day strike in the port of Manila led by workers of the Luzon Stevedoring Company. A food riot is put down in the provincial city of Tarlac. In the wake of public controversy, the President reorganizes his cabinet, taking on the portfolio of Minister of War himself. After stormy debate Congress finally approves funds to establish a fortified naval station in the Batan Islands; presented by the President and his supporters as an expression of Philippine defiance of the threat posed by China, it is widely regarded by the press as “too little, too late”.


The Freeman – Cebu City – Monday, 2 June 1941

The prosecution in the case against Dionysio Gullas, alleged assassin of former President Juan Diego de la Vega, rocked the courtroom today by introducing evidence which conclusively linked Minister of War Sergio Veloso to the alleged assassin Gullas. Documents were laid before the court showing a series of payments by the Minister of War to Gullas and to others, presumably to carry out political acts on behalf of Veloso. The Minister of War not unexpectedly protested his innocence but the Attorney General indicated that he would move for an indictment.


The Manila Times – Friday, 6 June 1941

The jury in the case of Dionysio Gullas returned a verdict of guilty. The convicted assassin, enraged at the court, struggled with the bailiffs who sought to take him off to prison and momentarily broke free; producing a knife, he attempted to escape from the Cebu City Municipal Court building but was shot and killed by police before he could do so.

The French (and Chileans, for that matter) are increasingly scratching their heads over the public outcry in the Philippines over the Treaty of Saigon, given that the Filipinos achieved all of their war aims for minimal cost. Granted, they did not achieve absolute military victory over China, but they're fooling themselves if they think that was ever in the cards.

Ah, public perception...

Quoted

Originally posted by BruceDuncan
The Minister of War not unexpectedly protested his innocence but the Attorney General indicated that he would move for an indictment.

Hm, what's the phrase? Oh yes: "Be sure your sins will find you out."

Quoted

Originally posted by Brockpaine

The French (and Chileans, for that matter) are increasingly scratching their heads over the public outcry in the Philippines over the Treaty of Saigon, given that the Filipinos achieved all of their war aims for minimal cost. Granted, they did not achieve absolute military victory over China, but they're fooling themselves if they think that was ever in the cards.

Ah, public perception...

Speaking OOC, you may recall all the election rhetoric that fueled the Macadandang victory in the November 1940 elections; having raised public perceptions to impossibly high levels, the rapid descent back to reality has not set well.

That, and the fact that most of the leading newspapers are controlled by Don Manolo and his friends who have an interest in steering public perceptions...

July 1941 Summary

Following the indictment of former Minister of War Sergio Veloso for complicity in the assassination of former president Juan Diego de la Vega political support for President Macadandang begins to crumble. The electoral majority of the Populist League shrinks as several prominent members of the House of Representatives and Senate resign in disgust; special elections return members critical of the President, most notably Alfredo Montelibano and Gonzalo Puyat, who take seats in the Senate. The general public is upset with the Government’s program of retrenchment – seeing reductions in the size of the Navy, in particular, and a freeze in social spending, but no corresponding reduction in the tax burden on the ordinary citizen – for wartime levels of taxation have been maintained. Rumors are rife of a massive rearmaments program being carried out by China – allegedly Peru has sold two battleships to China - and other ships as well. Amidst the growing cacophony of public debate His Eminence, Cardinal Reyes, continues to oversee an increasingly important program of social welfare and evangelization, particularly in the southern provinces of the nation.

The Manila Times, Monday, 7 July 1941

The City of Zamboanga was formally designated a free port, the most recent in a series of steps to stimulate economic development and inter-regional trade between the Philippines, the Netherlands East Indies and British Borneo. In ceremonies marking the occasion Zamboanga mayor Don Agustin Álvarez said that the opening of a free port and free trade zone would provide economic stimulation for the city and the entire province.


The Mindanao Examiner, Saturday, 12 July 1941

The Philippine Navy has announced the immediate grounding of all Nakajima G5N bomber aircraft following the unexplained loss of a second aircraft while on a ferry flight from Cebu to Puerto Princesa. Despite an intensive search no survivors of the missing aircraft have been found nor wreckage discovered.


The Philippine Herald – Editorial Page – Tuesday, 22 July 1941

Every citizen who loves liberty and freedom must look aghast at the recent action of the Manila Police in occupying the offices of the Peoples’ Journal, the confiscation of its files and the destruction of it presses. Why? Because the Peoples’ Journal had dared to print the truth about the Governments shabby treatment of the veterans of the war with China, how it is delaying their pensions and gratuities, and denying them medical care all while the President – who now serves as his own Minister of War and Minister of the Interior – continues to line his pockets with the tax payers’ money. What depths of peculation must the nation descend to for the people to rise up and demand change?


The Philippine Gazette, Wednesday, 23 July 1941

Official Notice: Suspension of Business License – The Philippine Herald

Help, help, I'm being repressed!

IC : July 10, 1941, Pontiak, Borneo.
Hendrick van der Wetering, Governor of Borneo,
issues a press release hailing the "Free Port" status of the City of Zamboanga.
"From Pontiak to Tarakan, this is good news for Borneans as it should help stimulate further trade with the peoples of the Philippines. Be it oil from Tarakan, palm oil, rubber, or any of the other goods we offer, greater markets offer greater prosperity. Further, the array of Phillipine goods will present the citizens with more variety and options to purchase. "


OOC :

Quoted

Originally posted by ShinRa_Inc

Quoted

Originally posted by Kaiser Kirk
It's becoming harder and harder for the Dutch to justify not "keeping up with the jones" and building large ACs of their own.

It's a side effect of our economical rules. Historically, an Alaska was not noticably cheaper than the Iowas were, but since we're a pure tonnage economy, ships in that weight class become much more attractive than they should be.

The Dutch haven't built any BCs or ACs for ages. They'd love to, but have too many other needs.

The Kortenaer class are first line battleships, the Ijesijk were called BCs as false info, but are small slow battleships that fit a perceived need. The closest is the Friesland Class CAs were recently rebuilt with 8x9.4" guns.

So Italian/Iberian/Danish ships are looked to fill that need.

<Whistles innocently>

Quoted

So Italian/Iberian/Danish ships are looked to fill that need.

<Points to Philippine fleet dispositions>

IC:

"We welcome our Dutch neighbors to visit our fair city, we welcome them as customers for our products and we welcome them as investors in our industries."

Quoted

Originally posted by BruceDuncan
<Whistles innocently>

Quoted

So Italian/Iberian/Danish ships are looked to fill that need.

<Points to Philippine fleet dispositions>

OOC : Their presence in Davao rather than more northern ports matters little. 2 days at 16 knots takes one from the Southern to the Northern end of the islands. The Dutch have long been resigned to the Concept that Satsuma would strike first and Filipino BCs would be an annoying matchup until allies came into play, but are not considered to be a critical threat. In the long run, large ACs/BCs are something the Dutch have been expecting since 1935, but a counter is an expense the Dutch aren't willing to pay at the expense of other priorities.